Extreme weather phenomena and natural disasters are increasing with the rise in global temperatures. These disasters cause the most suffering to the poorest people in the world, who also have the least influence on climate change.
The epidemic has killed over a thousand people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the number of cases increasing at an alarming rate in recent weeks. With funding from the Disaster Relief Fund, the Finnish Red Cross has sent an aid worker to the DRC and is strengthening preparedness in neighbouring countries.
The international staff at the hospital includes eight aid workers from the Finnish Red Cross. The Al Hol refugee camp accommodates 74,000 people, 90 per cent of whom are women and children. The hot summer weather is making the conditions in the camp worse.
Along with many of its neighbors, also Myanmar is forced to face many disasters including earthquakes, cyclones and flooding. The Hlaing Thar Yar Township on the outskirts of its capital Yangon is particularly vulnerable to both natural and man-made hazards.
Lapland’s tourist season also employs asylum seekers. In March, the cleaning service provider N-Clean had about ten men in the Lapland area employed to keep everything clean.
A large part of asylum seekers are people of prime working age whose first wish is to find employment, support themselves and their families and be independent of handouts from society. They have many kinds of training and skills but find it hard to gain entry to the Finnish labour market.
According to the responses given to Taloustutkimus, the parents’ first aid skills are reflected in the children’s preparedness to help. In areas where parents had completed an above average number of first aid courses, the children’s ability to take action when an accident occurs was estimated to be better than elsewhere.
Companies, governments and tourists are showing an increasing interest in the Arctic region. This increases the likelihood of accidents requiring the preparedness and readiness skills of the Red Cross.
The Finnish Red Cross’s and the Canadian Red Cross’s joint cholera treatment unit admitted its first patients on Thursday. The unit is part of a field hospital that will operate in connection with the local Hospital Rural De Nhamatanda.
The Finnish Red Cross is going to work together with the Canadian Red Cross to establish a hospital in the disaster area left behind by Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. The hospital is going to be equipped to handle births and treat infectious diseases, for example.
Football club Rovaniemen palloseura is one of this year’s recipients of the Red Cross Pioneer Against Prejudice Awards. In its operations, RoPS has championed a football-is-for-everyone attitude and publicly spoken out for non-discrimination and against racism.
Companies, governments and tourists are showing an increasing interest in the Arctic region. This increases the likelihood of accidents requiring the preparedness and readiness skills of the Red Cross.
Football club Rovaniemen palloseura is one of this year’s recipients of the Red Cross Pioneer Against Prejudice Awards. In its operations, RoPS has championed a football-is-for-everyone attitude and publicly spoken out for non-discrimination and against racism.
The Finnish Red Cross wants to contribute to everyone having an equal opportunity to be a part of Finnish society. Everyone should be able to operate as an individual or as a member of different communities without being discriminated against. Equality means treating everyone equally.
This year, the donations collected in the Finnish Red Cross and the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare campaign helped a total of 28,000 low-income families with children. Food vouchers give many families a chance to have Christmas, but their situation must not be forgotten in everyday life.
In 2018, we worked hard to help people in Finland and abroad. The following images are excerpts of what we have achieved together. We wish to thank all our volunteers, employees, supporters, partners and friends of the Finnish Red Cross!
So far, nearly 844,000 euros have been donated to the Good Holiday Spirit collection for domestic low-income families with children. Approximately 1.1 million euros are still required to reach the collection goal.
A total of 2.8 million euros were donated to the Finnish Red Cross Hunger Day collection this year. The donations were indeed needed quickly as Indonesia was hit by an earthquake. Currently, Finnish Red Cross logisticians are making sure that help reaches the areas affected by the natural disaster.
World AIDS Day takes place on Saturday 1 December. On the themed day, organisations and decision-makers from a variety of different fields make appeals in favour of international HIV work Finland has succeeded exceptionally well in treating the HIV epidemic. According to organisations, it is possible to copy this success story all over the world.
In Finland, poverty affects about 110,000 children. Childhood poverty will affect young people’s transition into independence and have consequences manifesting during their adulthood. The Good Holiday Spirit collection by the Finnish Red Cross and the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare for impoverished families with children will be launched on 22 November.
The Finnish Red Cross continues the closure of reception centres. According to the Finnish Immigration Service’s plan, the reception centres at Kitee and Kotka will be closed at the end of June. From the beginning of July 2018, the Finnish Red Cross will run 21 reception centres for adults and families and 3 units for unaccompanied minors. The total number of residents is 3500.
Today, once again, on World Refugee Day, the UN refugee agency UNHCR reports the number of people trying to reach the shores of Europe and those drowned at sea during the journey. Images of drowned refugees catch the interest of people every once in a while, but the fate of these people is ignored more often than not.
If a passenger ferry ran aground today, all help would be needed. One of the most important tasks of the volunteers of the Finnish Red Cross is to support the evacuees mentally in case of major disasters.
The Finnish Red Cross is donating EUR 100,000 from its Disaster Relief Fund for humanitarian aid in Ethiopia. In addition to the acts of inter-communal violence that escalated in June, the people of Ethiopia suffer from malnutrition and lack of clean water in Kochere and in the Gedeo Zone.
The Finnish Red Cross is sending two mobile clinics and two aid workers to assist the Kenya Red Cross Society as the flood situation escalates. A large part of Kenya has suffered from exceptionally heavy rains and floods on the Tana River.
The Syrian conflict has been raging on for seven years, and it shows no sign of abating. However, people living in Syria are not losing their humanity.
In Syria, millions of people are in need of help due to the violence that has continued for nearly seven years. The International Red Cross is appealing to all the parties in this conflict to protect civilians.
The first Finnish Red Cross aid workers will be flying to Bangladesh tomorrow at the earliest. The Disaster Relief Fund has granted 500,000 euros to managing the refugee crisis.
More than 58 000 people suffering from the drought received food thanks to cooperation between the Finnish Red Cross and the Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross, financed by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid.
The Finnish Red Cross has received numerous questions about how best to help the afflicted people in Eastern Africa and Yemen. At the moment, the most efficient way to get help to those in need is via the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
The Red Cross is supporting two hospitals by sending three nurses and medical supplies from Finland to Iraq. The hospitals are being used to treat people wounded in the fighting in Mosul.
Health care services in Syria have all but collapsed, and help is needed urgently. To this end the Finnish Red Cross is challenging everyone to participate in the Hunger Day Collection, to be held on 15–17 September.
Two massive earthquakes struck Nepal a year ago. Almost 9,000 people died and nearly a million buildings were destroyed. Over five million people suffered from the consequences of the earthquake. The Red Cross has been there since the start of the disaster.
